Negative Essay : Hurricane Katrina

The Washington Times opens with a statement describing the path of Hurricane Katrina and also shares the known death toll. This article gives the audience more of a general overview of the first known effects of the hurricane, without having too many newly revealed facts. The article has quotes from the governors of Mississippi, which gives the reader a feeling that

On August 29, 2005, the third strongest and biggest hurricane ever recorded in American history hit the Gulf Coast at eight o’clock a.m. The interaction between a tropical depression and a tropical wave created a tropical storm later referred to as Hurricane Katrina (FAQS, 2013). Forming over the Bahamas, Hurricane Katrina gradually strengthened as it moved closer and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Recorded on August 28th, 2005, Katrina jumped from a category three storm to a category five storm with maximum sustained winds up to 160 miles per hour. Although other hurricanes, such as Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma, exceeded Katrina, this dominant storm was classified as the fourth most intense hurricane

New Orleans suffered a large number of casualties, a lack of drinkable water, severe property damage, electrical outages and many more difficulties as a result of hurricane Katrina. After the disaster, thousands of people who had lost their homes were forced to seek shelter at the New Orleans Superdome. Many others broke in to the Convention Center to find safety there. These structures were large enough to hold huge numbers of people, but did not have the proper facilities, supplies or law enforcement that was needed to sustain the amount of individuals who were forced to temporarily move in. People stayed there for several days until they were able to make other living arrangements, often in far away cities and even other states. Both of the buildings may be condemned due to the extremely

The hurricane packed winds up to 200 miles an hour and killed hundreds of people. Key

In the history of the United States of America, Hurricane Katrina was known as one of the worst hurricanes in the world. The hurricane was a combination of tropical waters and gushing winds. It was the vicious hurricane that caused severe damage to the citizens of the United States of America. The amazing city known for its southern style, Cajun cuisines, jazz music and its celebration of Mardi Gras will never be the same. New Orleans, Louisiana was changed forever in August 2005 when this category five hurricane left the city devastated. The catastrophic storm tore through the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas destroying everything in its path and killing hundreds of people.

On August 23, 2005 Tropical Storm Katrina began as a tropical depression over the Bahamas. Three short days later she was upgraded to a Category 3 full blown Hurricane headed toward the gulf coast. Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana, declared a state of emergency and requested 4000 National Guard troops. The following morning President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency and Governor Blanco ordered evacuation out of the coastal areas while Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a voluntary evacuation of New Orleans.

Before Hurricane Katrina, a simulation called Hurricane Pam was created to prepare for a disaster like Katrina. It was the perfect model of what happened in Katrina ( Maestri, “The Storm” ). The purpose of it was to prepare the people (government) in what is needed during a real hurricane. Unfortunately, Before they could finish the exercise, FEMA's funding for the simulation was cut before it was completed causing the simulation to be canceled. The reason why Hurricane Pam was unsuccessful because “Medical care for hurricane victims was not yet finalized, communication systems were not addressed at all, and key transportation decisions were left to be determined ( Narrator, “The Storm”, PBS ). If the simulation were to be completed, the disaster of Hurricane Katrina could’ve been solved with a prepared plan to help many in New Orleans.

On the morning of August Twenty-ninth, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. The storm brought the water to about twenty feet high, swallowing eighty percent of the New Orleans city immediately. The flood and torrential rainstorm wreaked havoc and forced millions of people evacuate from the city. According to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, Katrina caused approximately one hundred and eight billion dollars in damage. Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive disasters have ever occurred in the United States, but it also revealed a catastrophic government at all levels’ failure in responding to the contingency.

Even though the warnings were dire many people it believed as if very few in government had heard their calls for help. Below is a partial transcript of an interview with a resident of New Orleans after the flooding happened;

After receiving a call from Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, warning Nagin of the impending disaster and recommending an evacuation mandate, Nagin waited 15 hours to alert the public (*20 pg. 60). He finally issued an evacuation mandate on August 28, less than 24 hrs before the hurricane made landfall (*23, Pg. 360). This delay was due to concern about the city’s financial liability for closing hotels and other businesses (*23, Pg. 360). This resulted in 90,000 citizens remaining in New Orleans as 80% of the city went under water (*23, Pg.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most destructive hurricanes to ever hit the United States, causing damage across the entire Southeast, with the harshest conditions falling on the city of New Orleans. This hurricane began as the consequence of a tropical wave encountering the traces of an earlier tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico. Once the wave and depression interacted, a new depression formed, located right near the Bahamas. This depression intensified exponentially, developing into a complete hurricane. Katrina wreaked havoc for slightly less than a week before subsiding over the eastern Great Lakes. This hurricane had catastrophic social and economic effects on the Southeast requiring a lengthy reconstruction period.

Hurricane Katrina occurred in the year 2005; it made landfall on the morning of August 29th. However, the origins of this storm began as early as August 24, 2005. In the course of those six days, Hurricane Katrina varied in location and intensity before making final landfall on the southeast portion of the United States (Ahrens & Sampson, 2011).

The chapter also mentions how the levees collapsed and filled the city with water; the author mentions how no one was prepared for this to happen. The author then talks about it took three days for helicopters to drop sand bags to prevent water from flowing in, however; the author mentions how this had failed because another hurricane hit and flooded the city yet

Three factors contributed to the great hurricane which made it powerful and memorable: a lack of sufficient warning, previous weather history, and the amount of personal and property damage.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest storms in the United States over one thousand died. This occurred because of wind touching water and one plate moving.(A plate in the structure of the earth.) This natural disaster will go down in American history as the deadliest storm in